High School Senior with Down Syndrome Goes to Prom with ‘Big Crush’

Many young girls dream of going to prom with the high school hunk, but Stephanie Kaye actually got the chance to dance the night away with hers!

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Ed Brandenburg, a 17-year-old senior at Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland, Wisconsin, asked Stephanie to prom after finding out he was her longtime crush. Stephanie has Down Syndrome, and had never attended a dance before this weekend. It was also Ed's first time at the prom.

Fittingly, the two did the dance up-style, but it was Stephanie's initial response that made the biggest impression of all… and it was all caught on video.

"Her reaction was amazing," Ed tells the Good News blog. "In the video, you can see her eating lunch by herself... then I come in and surprised her! Her reaction was what I expected, pure excitement! Her reaction was amazing for me to experience, and seeing that I caused her pure joy was beautiful. When she said yes, everyone in the lunchroom started clapping and I even saw some girls crying. It was quite breathtaking to watch."

The prom weekend was meant to be one that could never be outdone. Ed and Stephanie became friends riding the school bus together every day for the past four years, and Ed knew it would mean the world to his pal if he put a lot of effort into the experience.

"I have to make this dance extremely fun and wonderful for Stephanie," he said. "More specifically, I want to make it the best night of her life."

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Ed even asked Stephanie's mother in advance, because he thought a "respectable date" would do so. He wanted Stephanie's mom to know he was in it for the right reasons.

From the pictures, the duo enjoyed a night of glam, glitz and a little goofing off. Ed says it was his last chance to make a lasting impression.

"She has been asking me to homecoming over the years and I never took her offer very seriously," he explains. "But this year I decided to make her last memory of me before I go to college special by taking her to prom… she has always been the important one in the friendship."

More of the Good News:
Singer with Down Syndrome Gets a Surprising Duet Partner
Boy with Down Syndrome Gets Huge Surprise when He Receieves Acceptance Letter from Clemson
Teen Basketball Player with Down Syndrome Wows on the Court… and Heads to the Pros